Feeding and like tray assembly



Dec. 28, 1965 v 30 3,226,074

FEEDING AND LIKE TRAY ASSEMBLY Filed July 24, 1964 FIG. I.

INVENTOR FIG. 30 BY PLZZZIEQTIZAZOE y) 'M ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent 3,226,074 FEEDING AND LIKE TRAY ASSEMBLY Herbert A. Coe, 4320 Teesdale St., Philadelphia, Pa. Filed July 24,, 1964, Ser. No. 385,019 4 Claims. (Cl. 248311) The present invention relates to trays which may be readily supported on the chest and below the chin of an infant or a more mature person for feeding or other purposes. More particularly, the present invention provides a two-piece tray assembly having a base or supporting member adapted for ready attachment to the chest and below the chin of an infant or other user and a removable tray member which may be readily snapped into position on said base member and be supported thereby.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive lightweight tray assembly which is particularly adapted for use in feeding infants and young children cereals and strained or semi-solid foods.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a tray assembly which may be of advantage in hospitals, dental offices or institutions where it is desirable to have a readily mountable and demountable tray below the chin and in close proximity to the patien-ts mouth.

With these objects in view I have provided a novel tray assembly comprising a base member which is adapted to be held in position on the users chest beneath his chin and which serves as a support for a readily attachable and detachable tray member. In its preferred form the base has an upstanding flange extending substantially across the top thereof and the tray has an overturned and downwardly extending flange at least along the back edge thereof which is adapted to fit over and engage the flange on the base. Also, the tray preferably has at least two compartments which are deeply dished and define between their adjacent exterior surfaces a space to receive a supporting bracket on the base member. The supporting bracket is formed on a boss which protrudes from the base member and has inwardly and upwardly curved surfaces which engage part of the bottom and the back surfaces of the dished compartments. The supporting bracket also preferably is dimpled near its upper end on each face to receive and retain two complemental, outwardly-extending dimples on the adjacent exterior faces of the two compartments, to assist in holding the tray in assembled relation.

The preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the tray member and base member before assembly;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the tray and base member in assembled relation;

FIGURE 3 is a front elevational view of the tray and base member assembly;

FIGURE 4 is a side elevational view of the tray and base member assembly of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the lines 5-5 of FIGURE 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows; and

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the lines 66 of FIGURE 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring to the drawings it should first be noted that the tray assembly of the present invention consists of a base member 10 and a tray member 11. The base member is intended to be positioned on the chest of the user beneath the chin. It is preferably formed of a relatively thin substantially flat molded plastic which is given a slight curvature from left to right to conform to the curvature of the human chest.

3,226,074 Patented Dec. 28, 1965 The base member 11 preferably is provided with two lugs or ears 12 having holes 13 therethrough for receiving a string 14 to be tied behind the neck of the user. The base member preferably has a relatively flat molded plastic section 15 and also has an outwardly extending integrally-molded protruding boss 17. The boss which protrudes from the base member 15 has two upwardly and inwardly curved surfaces 20, 20 which are separated by an integral bracket 21 in the form of an inverted V.

To the rear of the boss 17 and between the two cars 12 there is an upstanding flange 25 having at each end thereof downwardly extending slots 26.

The tray 11 preferably is a one-piece relatively thin molded plastic member having two dished compartments 31, 32 whose walls 31', 32' taper inwardly toward the top and define an inverted V-shaped space 33. The bottom and rear wall of each compartment is also preferably complernentally curved so as snugly to engage the curved surfaces 20, 20' of the boss 17.

The tray 11 around its top periphery is preferably provided with an overturned outwardly directed flange 35 which provides rigidity and reinforcement for the tray. In addition, that portion of the flange 37 which extends along the rearward edge of the tray is adapted to engage over the flange 25 on the boss and to enter the slots 26 when the tray and base member are in assembled elation. Also, when in assembled relation the bracket 21 will snugly fit in the inverted V-shaped space 33 between the two compartments. At the same time, the curved bottom and rear wall 36 of the compartments 31, 32 snugly engage the curved surfaces 20, 20 of the boss 17. It will thus be understood that the detachable tray 11 when mounted on the base member 10 will have three cooperating supporting members and areas.

In order to avoid accidental separation of the tray from the base member during use, the present invention also provides dimples 50 on the bracket 21 near the top edge thereof which are formed in molding, and projections 51 on the walls 31 and 32' of the tray. The projections and dimples are complemental as shown in FIGURE 6 and will be snapped into engagement when the tray is mounted on the base member.

It will also be noted from FIGURES 1, 3 and 5 that a recessed thumb rest 60 having a corrugated or friction surface is provided in the lower flat surface of the base member as a convenient means of applying pressure against the base member to brace the same while the tray containing foodstuffs is being set in place.

One of the features of the present invention is that both the base member and the readily attachable and detachable tray can be separately molded from relatively thin plastic material while providing the necessary rigidity and strength to avoid deformation or detachment during use. It has been found that the base member can be molded in one-piece from high compact styrene of 30 mils thickness and that the tray can be molded from high compact styrene of 40 mils thickness. It hence will be understood that the tray assembly of the present invention can be produced in volume and inexpensively from relatively thin molded plastic materials.

What I claim is:

1. A tray assembly of the character described comprising a relatively thin, molded plastic base member adapted to be positioned against the chest and beneath the chin of a user, said base member comprising a substantially flat portion and a protruding boss portion, said boss portion being inwardly and upwardly curved from the front face thereof and having an upwardly tapered bracket formed integrally therewith, an upstanding flange along the top of said boss; and a relatively thin, molded plastic tray for ready attachment to said base, said tray being dished to provide at least two compartments with tapered walls therebetween which define an inverted V-shaped space of a size and shape to receive and retain the tapered bracket on the base member, the rear surfaces of the dished compartments being complementally curved snugly to engage the curved surfaces of the boss, and a downwardly and outwardly turned flange along the rear edge of the tray adapted to fit over and engage the flange on the base member.

2. A tray assembly of the character described comprising a relatively thin, molded plastic base member adapted to be positioned against the chest and beneath the chin of a user, said base member comprising a substantially flat portion and a protruding boss portion, said boss portion being inwardly and upwardly curved from the front face thereof and having an upwardly tapered bracket formed integrally therewith, an upstanding flange along the top of said boss; and a relatively thin, molded plastic tray for ready attachment to said base, said tray being dished to provide at least two compartments with tapered walls therebetween which define an inverted V- shaped space of a size and shape to receive and retain the tapered bracket on the base member, the rear surfaces of the dished compartments being complementally curved snugly to engage the curved surfaces of the boss, and a downwardly and outwardly turned flange around the upper edge of the tray, that portion of such flange along the rear edge of the tray adapted to fit over and engage the flange on the base member.

3. A tray assembly of the character described comprising a relatively thin, molded plastic base member adapted to be positioned against the chest and beneath the chin of a user, said base member comprising a substantially flat portion and a protruding boss portion, said boss portion being inwardly and upwardly curved from the front face thereof and having an upwardly tapered bracket formed integrally therewith, an upstanding flange along the top of said boss; and a relatively thin, molded plastic tray for ready attachment to said base, said tray being dished to provide at least two compartments with tapered walls therebetween which define an inverted V-shaped space of a size and shape to receive and retain the tapered bracket on the base member, complemental dimples and projections provided on said bracket and said tapered walls adjacent the inverted V-shaped space for snap engagement, the rear surfaces of the dished compartments being complementally curved snugly to engage the curved surfaces of the boss, and a downwardly and outwardly turned flange along the rear edge of the tray adapted to fit over and engage the flange on the base member.

4. A tray assembly of the character described comprising a relatively thin, molded plastic base member adapted to be positioned against the chest and beneath the chin of a user, said base member comprising a substantially flat portion and a protruding boss portion, said boss portion being inwardly and upwardly curved from the front face thereof and having an upwardly tapered bracket formed integrally therewith, an upstanding flange along the top of said boss; and a relatively thin, molded plastic tray for ready attachment to said base, said tray being dished to provide at least two compartments with tapered walls therebetween which define an inverted V- shaped space of a size and shape to receive and retain the tapered bracket on the base member, dimples provided in said bracket near its upper edge and complemen tal projections provided on the tapered walls adjacent the inverted V-shaped space for snap engagement in said dimples, the rear surfaces of the dished compartments being complementally curved snugly to engage the curved surfaces of the boss, and a downwardly and outwardly turned flange around the upper edge of the tray, that portion of such flange along the rear edge of the tray adapted to fit over and engage the flange on the base member.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 927,521 7/1909 Geiz 220-19 2,631,288 3/1953 Daust 249 2,880,950 4/1959 Williams et al. 248-102 CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Examiner. 

1. A TRAY ASSEMBLY OF THE CHARACTER DESCRIBED COMPRISING A RELATIVELY THIN, MOLDED PLASTIC BASE MEMBER ADAPTED TO BE POSITIONED AGAINST THE CHEST AND BENEATH THE CHIN OF A USER, SAID BASE MEMBER COMPRISING A SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT PORTION AND A PROTRUDING BOSS PORTION, SAID BOSS PORTION BEING INWARDLY AND UPWARDLY CURVED FROM THE FRONT FACE THEREOF AND HAVING AN UPWARDLY TAPERED BRACKET FORMED INTEGRALLY THEREWITH, AN UPSTANDING FLANGE ALONG THE TOP OF SAID BOSS; AND A RELATIVELY THIN, MOLDED PLASTIC TRAY FOR READY ATTACHMENT TO SAID BASE, SAID TRAY BEING DISHED TO PROVIDE AT LEAST TWO COMPARTMENTS WITH TAPERED WALLS THEREBETWEEN WHICH DEFINE AN INVERTED V-SHAPED SPACE OF A SIZE AND SHAPE TO RECEIVE AND RETAIN THE TAPERED BRACKET ON THE BASE MEMBER, THE REAR SURFACES OF THE DISHED COMPARTMENTS BEING COMPLEMENTALLY CURVED SNUGLY TO ENGAGE THE CURVED SURFACES OF THE BOSS, AND A DOWNWARDLY AND OUTWARDLY TURNED FLANGE ALONG THE REAR EDGE OF THE TRAY ADAPTED TO FIT OVER AND ENGAGE THE FLANGE ON THE BASE MEMBER. 